Settlement Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021
Vineyard: Settlement Vineyard
Subregion: Omaka Valley | Southern Valleys
Region: Marlborough
Vintage: 2021
Soil Type: Shallow layer of wind-blown loess over low vigour clay loams.
Clone: Dijon clone 777
Viticulture: BioGro certified organic and Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand Certified (SWNZ).
Growers: Sutherland, Healy and Beattie families
Viticulturist: Nigel Sowman
Appellation Marlborough Wine (AMW) Certified
Winemaker's Notes:
This is our third release of the impressive Settlement Vineyard Pinot Noir. Located in the Omaka Valley in the Southern Valleys chain, the vineyard is organically farmed and was established in 2009. The north-facing hillside, dubbed the Back Block is planted to a high density (3788 plants / ha) while the exposure yields naturally small bunches and berries.
Our Blank Canvas Settlement Vineyard Pinot Noir is a classic representation of Pinot Noir from the Omaka. It has incredible density and power. For us, Omaka is the most tannic sub-region in Marlborough. It is an incredibly structured and impressive wine and is built to age.
Reviews:
2021 Vintage:
96 Points - OUTSTANDING ‘The bouquet is impressive and strong with power and precision. Aromas of ripe mid to dark-skinned berry fruits including boysenberry and wild forest berries. There’s a seam of ripe plum then clove and vanilla spice elements. Wood and earth-smoke add complexity and definition. On the palate a dry wine with the power and precision that the bouquet suggested driving texture and tension, tannins and acidity make a bold statement contrasted by the core fruit flavours that reflect the bouquet. A delicious wine, one for the cellar with best drinking from 2029 through 2037+. CAMERON DOUGLAS MS | CAMDOUGLASMS.COM | JULY 2025
95 POINTS - ‘A very pretty tension to this pinot with strawberries, orange blossoms and perfumed cedar character. Medium body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. Love the focused length. Drinkable but better with time. Screw cap.’ JAMES SUCKLING | JAMESSUCKLING.COM | NOVEMBER 2024
5 STARS 'The powerful, very harmonious 2021 vintage (*****) was hand-picked from 20-year-old vines in the Omaka Valley, barrel-aged and bottled unfiltered. Full-coloured, it is a weighty, very savoury and complex red, with dense cherry, spice and nut flavours, and good tannin backbone. Set for a long life, it should break into full stride 2027+.' MICHAEL COOPER MA ONZM | AUGUST 2025
94 POINTS - Dense, deep and firmly-structured pinot noir with plenty of weight and heft. Flavours suggest dark chocolate, mocha, cassis, dark-fleshed plum, and. Bold wine with obvious cellaring potential. BOB CAMPBELL MW | JULY 2025
94 POINTS - ‘The 2021 Pinot Noir Settlement Vineyard is a remarkably satisfying and layered expression from a low-vigor, high-density, sloping site. There's plenty of concentration here with two-thirds whole bunch and sinewy tannins. Savory and floral, medicinal herbs and spices offset the sweet and ripe red fruit.’ REBECCA GIBB MW | VINOUS | From: New Zealand Reds: Making the Bucket List (Jul 2025)
2020 Vintage:
5 STARS - ‘The classy, youthful 2020 vintage was hand-harvested from clone 777 vines planted in the early 2000s in the Omaka Valley. Bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, sweet-fruited, concentrated and structured, with ripe cherry and plum flavours, complex and savoury. Still very fresh and vigorous, it's well worth cellaring to 2025+.' MICHAEL COOPER MA ONZM | JULY 2024
95 POINTS - ‘Attractively aromatic wine with floral/violet, red cherry, grape stems and a suggestion of classy oak. Elegant wine with high energy, crushed herb flavours. Approachable now but with good cellaring potential.’ - BOB CAMPBELL MW | DECEMBER 2022
94 POINTS - ‘A youthful core of dark red cherry and fruit spice, there’s a distinctive perfume of rose then wild berries and oak spice. A fine white smoke note from barrel and soft silty soil earthy quality layers in breadth and complexity. Lots of core red fruit flavours touch the palate first then textures from finer polished tannins, plenty of acidity and a fine saline quality. Fresh, varietal balanced, a nice tautness and gentle squeeze, well made, youthful still and lengthy. Best drinking from 2024 through 2030. Be great to see this wine in a year.’ - CAMERON DOUGLAS MS | DECEMBER 2022
93 POINTS - ‘The 2020 Pinot Noir Settlement Vineyard is unforced and aromatically enticing. This is ripe, textural and satisfying, yet there's tension on the finish that draws it out thanks to whole clusters in the ferment. While red and plum fruit still dominate the aromatics, this veers towards savory with dried herbs and delicate festive spices.’ REBECCA GIBB MW | VINOUS.COM | From: New Zealand Reds: Making the Bucket List (Jul 2025)
17 POINTS - ‘Mid to light garnet. More Côte de Beaune than Côte de Nuit in its red-fruit profile and without the sweetness I often find on a Marlborough Pinot, and with a suggestion of spice and floral notes. So it could even be Chambolle ... Elegant, pure-fruited, mouth-watering and with a lovely mix of savoury character and red-fruits. Very fine tannins, almost chalky at the end. Beautiful hand-crafted Pinot. Mouth-watering, light-bodied, between seductive and cerebral with juicy and floral intensity on the palate on the day after opening.’ - JULIA HARDING MW | JANCISROBINSON.COM | MARCH 2024
92 POINTS - ‘Attractive dried strawberries and sweet plums with some orange peel undertones. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and a rough silk textured finish. Succulent. Tangy too Sustainable. Drink now. Screw cap.’ - JAMES SUCKLING | MARCH 2023
2019 Vintage:
96 Points - Outstanding "A powerful and distinctive bouquet with a core complexity built around ripe red berry fruit, a natural savoury dried herb complexity, a gentle sweetness of oak and baking spice scents to match, there’s density and richness alongside power and finesse. A powerful youthful energy as the wine touches the palate transitioning smoothly through berry flavours, the savoury seam and textures from tannins and acidity. Delicious, youthful and full of pinosity. A lovely expression, complex and lengthy. Best drinking from 2022 through 2030+." Cameron Douglas MS, October 2021
95 Points "Intense, powerful, firmly-structured pinot noir from the Omaka Valley in the Southern Valleys subregion. The 50% whole-bunches in the ferment has contributed to the wine's tannic backbone, which is balanced by sweet fruit. Floral, dark cherry and dried herb flavours. A richly-textured wine with obvious cellaring potential." Bob Campbell MW, November 2021
17.5+ Points (#1 NZ Pinot Noir 2019) "Mid cherry red. A notably savoury aroma though no lack of dark and dark-red fruits lifted by a hint of perfumed sweetness, almost a floral note, highlighted by the whole-bunch component, which adds a herbal but not unripe quality which shows more on the day after opening. On the palate, this is a beauty, firmly structured but with extreme tannic finesse. That savoury character on the palate too, with just a hint of stems adding to the well-balanced freshness. Plenty of Southern Valleys character and power here, in an elegant style, very slightly chewy at this young stage but even so it’s hard to resist drinking it now even though it should age well. Just goes to show that Marlborough doesn’t have to make tutti-frutti Pinot." Julia Harding MW | JancisRobinson.com 27/01/22
93 Points "Lovely pure dark plum and Staccato cherry aromas gives freshness - plus there's a hint of new leather, too. Strongly textural; fruit is ripe and full of flavour, a hint of savoury whole cluster then graphite tannins kick in." Jane Skilton MW | Gourmet Traveller WINE (Top New Release New Zealand Reds) January 2022.
View Tasting Notes - 2020 | 2019
